Proper Sleep

We lead busy lives, “checking-in” — on Facebook, through texts, emails, phone calls — with family, friends, children, co-workers and bosses all day. BUT how often do we stop to check- in and notices ourselves?

I’ll be starting a new series “Check-ins” every Monday with weekly tips on how to be aware and listen to your own body.

Wellness starts with staying attuned with our inner selves. A daily check-in using one or more of the following questions can help you reconnect. Energy flows where your attention goes. Give yourself a valuable moment of attention every day, in some healthy way, and you’ll begin building improved wellbeing into your day.

YOU ARE WORTH IT!

How am I sleeping? Am I waking up in the middle of the night and/or sleeping in late?

Why does this matter?

Healthy Sleep starts with healthy breathing

Tip: Try breathing exercise and meditation before bed to help prepare your body for sleep. Having a hard time doing it yourself? We love the guided sleep meditation on Quite Brain Coach!

Sleep is vital to your body’s inflammatory response

Mouth breathing causes many health issues, you must breathe only through the nose especially during sleep. (The brain sends a message to the diaphragm to shut down)

If you snore or have UARS you may have hidden health hazards you are not aware of. (Did you know?? Snoring actually causes tube tension throughout the body which affects blood pressure, lymph drain and digestion)

It is not the quantity of the sleep as much as it is the quality of the sleep.

Creating a sleep sanctuary can change your state of being and your health.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer found in women in the United States. Women have a 1 in 8 chance of developing it in their lifetime!

We are in control of what we do in life. In order to aid our bodies in the prevention of breast cancer here are a few tips to incorporate into your daily routine:

1) Proper Sleep!

2) Eat Organic Food

3) Know what you are putting on your skin!

4) Drink lots of properly filtered water

5) Exercise!!!

6) Take Supplements

This week I will focus on these 6 topics and break them down for you.

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Proper Sleep

As I wrote about in ‘Breast Health Tip– Get enough Sleep!‘ it is very important for women to go to bed early and get proper rest. Scientists have discovered that when it gets dark the pineal gland in our brain produces a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythms which helps us fall asleep. Melatonin is extremely powerful against and fighting breast cancer.

Scientists have also found that less than six hours of sleep a night raises breast cancer risk by 60 %!

Proper sleep also allows us to feel refreshed and have energy to do some of my other breast cancer prevention suggestions like eat well and exercise.

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Eat Organic Food

Organic produce might be a bit more expensive but it’s worth it in the long run!

Organic food is herbicide and pesticide free. Did you know that on average, a person eats a gallon of these poisons from their daily fruits and vegetables in a year?! This is one of the main reason it’s so important to buy organic produce.

For breast cancer prevention and overall health I suggest to eat at least seven servings of organic fresh fruit and vegetables every single day. The superstars for breast cancer protection include all cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower); dark leafy greens (collards, kale, spinach) ; carrots and tomatoes. The best fruits include citrus, berries and cherries. Eat away!

Organic Produce is also better for our environment. It uses less energy to grow and helps replenish our soil.

I like the mantra about Nature and our environment:

“I’ll nurture and respect you, you nurture and respect me.”

For the cleanest and healthiest organic food that is delivered to your door I suggest to use:

As September rolls in, everyone’s schedules start to fall back into place. Summer is fun but it’s usually filled with a lot of events, activities, and vacations that change your usual schedule.

I love September. It might be the mentality of ‘going back to school’ but I always feel like it’s a new beginning and a great time to start new habits. It is also a time where I get back into my usual sleeping schedule.

Proper sleep is just as important as nutrition and exercise! But many of us are not getting enough of it. Studies show that 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more.

Sleep can help with breast cancer prevention! A study published in the National Cancer institute found that nurses that worked the night shift had a 50% increase risk of breast cancer. The reason for this is because of the daily rhythms of the sun and the hormone ‘melatonin.’ Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and it helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythms.

Melatonin is extremely powerful against and fighting breast cancer if you go to bed early and it’s dark.